Vandalism on the rockface of Cheshunt’s Paradise Falls has left irreversible desecration to the sacred site used for child birth by traditional owners for thousands of years, a court has heard.

A 25-year-old Rosebud man appeared at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Monday pleading guilty to being one of two graffiti artists who vandalised the rockface just over a year ago.

Facing the risk of jail time, the man was placed on a two-year community corrections order, which would include 240 hours of community work.

The court heard the man of Indigenous heritage along with a co-accused, a 26-year-old Hastings man, travelled from Melbourne to the King Valley on 2 May, 2025 to spray-paint the graffiti at the culturally significant site.

The co-accused spray painted the first half of the graffiti (‘rank’), while the accused graffitied the second half (‘slaik’).

The vandalism was discovered by Parks Victoria staff on 12 May, 2025, who found a spray paint can and two nozzles.

Vegetation was also damaged in the area of the 10m wide and 2m high vandalism.

Police were able to narrow in on their suspects due to the ‘slaik’ tag, which had been used by the accused on three other graffiti-related offences and tracking the phone records of the co-accused.

He was arrested in the Melbourne CBD on 16 July, 2025 while police also apprehended the co-accused at his Hastings home.

During a police interview, the accused told officers he and his co-accused wanted to spray-paint their tags at Paradise Falls due to the aesthetic of a waterfall running in the background of their graffiti, only the waterfall wasn’t running at the time.

The accused made an apology post on social media from his private account ‘19121911_notavandal’.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, chair of the Taungurung Land and Waters Council (TLaWC) board, Kaley Nicholson, said the desecration of the rockface was extremely harmful to the community.

“When I realised the scale of the damage, I felt distressed, sick and heartbroken,” the statement read.

Ms Nicholson said the significant cultural site was used for important women’s business, including childbirth, due to its accessible clean running water, acoustics of the rockface and natural shelter, and was particularly significant for women.

TLaWC inspections determined the rockface had been physically disturbed and due to the brittle and conglomerate nature of the rock, the graffiti is yet to be removed.

Ms Nicholson said improper removal of the graffiti could cause further harm to the rockface.

“The damage is irreversible and even with recovery efforts, it has caused permanent damage,” Ms Nicholson’s statement read.

Defence counsel Christina Gomez Vazquez said her client was “mortified” as he heard about the impact of his vandalism.

“He wasn’t aware of the impact of the site and upon finding out he has become genuinely embarrassed,” she said.

Ms Gomez Vazquez revealed to the court her client had Aboriginal heritage from his grandmother, but had a disconnect to his Indigenous bloodline due to a strained relationship with his father and his side of the family.

Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Stuart Pritchard said a price could not be placed on the generational impact of the vandalism which has caused friction within the community.

Led Sen Const Pritchard said the accused had proven himself to be a habitual graffiti artist and had no insight on the communities he was impacting.

The court heard the man also pleaded guilty to two separate incidents of graffiti in Melbourne, using his “slaik” tag in an offence at a shopping centre.

Magistrate Ian Watkins considered a prison sentence for the “atrocious” act, but ordered the man to complete 240 hours of unpaid community work.

“You considered it to be a work of art… it wasn’t a work of art, it was a desecration of a sacred site,” he said.

“Make good to your own people the insult and injury you’ve caused them.

“One would hesitate to find a more destructive and serious example of graffiti.”

The two-year community corrections order will also require supervision, drug and mental health treatment and an offering of programs, including one that could assist with the accused connecting with his Indigenous heritage.

The 26-year-old Hastings man made a brief appearance at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Monday, represented by a duty lawyer.

His matter was adjourned for a plea hearing on 20 July.